Chapter 1: Introduction

The first thing you noticed was the dust. It made a thick carpet on the floors and floated down from the ceiling, the particles shimmering in the slanted sunlight creating a mysterious, slightly magical aura. I treaded lightly on the creaky wooden planks of grandmother's attic but still managed to leave dark prints wherever my feet landed. I'd climbed up the stairs in a slight daze, an effect of the lazy afternoon ahead combined with the heavenly prospect of a responsibility free summer. Now that I'd made the effort to scale the ladder I had decided it would be interesting to see what treasures and secrets might be unearthed in the seemingly centuries untouched boxes and trunks, piled helter-skelter in a manner not unlike a maze.

Slowly I practically tiptoed along, pulling dark tresses onto my shoulder in an effort to avoid the dirt that floated in the air. Luminous blue eyes gazed at the surroundings trying to assess where to search first. Should I look in the dark mahogany bureau ahead? Or perhaps the velvet covered jewelry box on the left? Finally though, I came across an enormous wooden trunk with golden paint chipping off the corners. That seemed a likely place for an exciting find. I lifted the lid cautiously, fearful of whatever creepy insects may crawl inside, but surprisingly found it in almost impeccable condition.

Fascinated by the unimaginable objects that might be found inside, I started peeling away at the layers of the contents, until the chest's buttercup yellow fabric lining lay bare under her hands. There were several curious items: a piece of silky fur that appeared to have the sleeve of an old coat, a couple of letters addressed to a certain Susan, an old leather journal and fountain pen ad some green and yellow rings in a small brown paper bag. She had just begun unfolding one of the letters when a glint caught her eye.

Leaning over the inside of the trunk I discovered a delicate chain, hung with several silver charms. The tarnished metal formed an intriguing series of depictions: a small lion, a sophisticated crown, a bow with an arrow, a faun, an old-style wardrobe, a fragile leaf, a mermaid perched on a rock and a thin wand. I held the bracelet gingerly; such an ancient object was surely prone to disintegrating. After this unexpected event I decided it might be best to leave the rest of the attic alone for the day, choosing instead to ask Gran what exactly was stored up there.

"Gran! Graaan!" my voice echoed in the narrow hallway of the familiar place. Whispers of my call bounced back, amplifying the words and creating a thick blanket of sound. Hard to miss.

"Yes dear?" my Grandma's voice called out sweetly, the lilting gentleness reminiscent of a smooth and soft caress. Her voice seemed to cure all troubles instantly and was always the one I searched for when hurt or when my heart ached.

"I was up in the attic just now, it's filthy by the way!" I said with a grimace to emphasize the last part. "Well, maybe it's been a couple years since I went up…It's hard for me to get up the ladder you know. Did you find anything interesting?"

"Yes actually, I wanted to ask you about it. I found an old trunk up there. It had a couple of odd things." The mention of the trunk made a faraway look enter her eyes, it was a look I'd only ever truly seen when she mentioned my grandfather or my parents. I'd long associated it with her memories of the past, of unseen and unheard secrets and heartbreak my grandmother kept from me. What was it about this trunk that made her float away like that?

"Gran, do you want to talk about it?" with that she shook her head and the dazed look disappeared. I'd used this method of bringing her back to earth before, with mixed results. "Well, I don't know… The thing is I haven't talked about this for such a long time, not even with your grandfather. He never knew, I was afraid he would be scared if I told him. Will you promise me you'll listen to my story with an open mind?"

It was an odd request, after all what story could she tell me that she'd been to frightened to tell her own husband? However, the contents of that trunk were a looming question in my mind, and the fact that their significance was so great made me all the more curious to know. "Yes, I'll listen without judging you" I finally replied.

"You see, this is a very long story. The things inside of that trunk all have a different story. Did you find that piece of fur? That was from a coat I used a long time ago, in a very odd place. Let me just say, it involved an enormous wardrobe…"

A/N: Hey everyone! So, I'm completely revamping this story. I don't even really remember where I was going when I first published this but I'm taking it in a new direction. This chapter is basically a combo of the two I originally had, but I'll hopefully be posting new material soon. As is, I hope you like the slight tweaks I've made (if you had read the original) or just enjoy it for itself (if you're new)! Hope you like it and feel free to review (they're pretty good motivation to keep publishing you know :P)

- Cego